Tachycardia
by Upsgirl88
Summary: Tachycardia is defined as an abnormally rapid heart rate. There are two things that make her heart beat faster: fear and him. When Carol operated on a stranger with a gunshot wound she wasn't expecting to fall in love. But there are sinister things brewing in the Georgia woods. She saved him once, but can she keep the hunter safe?
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Okay, I'll be honest. I'm desperately missing the feeling and excitement of something new. The last time I felt it was with Wild Heart - thanks to you guys of course and your amazing support! So it's AU time again. Gonna give this one a try. Expect shorter chapters so I can hopefully update more often. XO_

 **Tachycardia - Ch 1**

"What have we got?" Carol asked the standard question as the paramedics pulled the gurney out of the ambulance and they all started rushing into the hospital.

"Caucasian male, GSW to the upper abdomen. Hunters found him in the woods. Major blood loss. Looks like another hunting accident," the medic quickly informed her of the details. "Pressure is low but holding stea…" Before he could finish the alarms started beeping on the man's monitors.

"He's crashing. Start compressions…" Carol wasn't even sure who said it, but without a second thought she jumped into action and leapt onto the gurney. She straddled the man's body and put her hands on his chest. It was all second nature. She'd been a trauma surgeon for years, her body and hands just knew what to do at that point.

They got the patient stabilized and Carol started to prep for surgery. His chances didn't look good. He'd lost so much blood. How long had he been lying out in the woods before someone found him? This was the 4th hunting accident already that week and she'd already lost two of them. One was DOA and the other didn't survive surgery. The 3rd was in stable condition but had a serious spinal cord injury. She scrubbed furiously at her hands - there was no way she was losing another one - not today.

Carol bust into the operating room with a renewed energy and positivity. She was saving this man - end of story. They set to work and she ran the show with authority and expertise. "Suction. Hang 2 more units of O-neg. More suction. Dammit - he's crashing again. Charge - Clear." Everything was a blur. The man coded one more time, but once again they got him back. Three hours later Carol was slumped on a chair in the prep room, exhausted - but they had saved him. He was stable. She pulled the cap off her head and sighed.

"That was a close one," Lori said, walking into the room. "You were a rockstar though," she added with a smile. Lori was not only Carol's favourite OR nurse, she was also her best friend.

Carol managed a weak, tired smile. "That's the 4th hunting accident this week. Season's only been open 2 weeks…" her voice trailed off in thought. "Can you ask Rick to come see me when he's got a moment?" Rick was Lori's husband and also the local Sheriff.

"Carol? What's wrong? Are you thinking… these aren't accidents?" Lori took a seat beside her. "You know there's always a few issues when the season first starts."

"Yeah, but 4? In a week? And they have all been hit in the chest or abdomen. Not one graze or leg wound, nothing." There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She'd always trusted her gut - ever since she got away from her abusive ex-husband she'd vowed she would listen to that nagging feeling inside her she'd ignored for so long with Ed. Carol stood up and looked into the OR where a cleaner was mopping up the pool of blood on the floor with a mop. "Something is off Lori, I just know it."

She nodded and Carol realized that even though she'd been trying to rationalize it that Lori must have felt it too. "I'll go talk to Shane, he's hanging around waiting for the statement…"

"No," Carol snapped, sitting back down forcefully. "Tell him to come back in the morning. No one is disturbing that man - even if he does wake up he needs rest." Lori gave her a strange look. "I'm sorry…" Carol sighed. "I'm just stressed I guess." The truth was there was something about this latest patient that had got to her. She had never felt so driven to save someone's life before. She always wanted to save her patients, of course she did, and she always gave her best effort, but this time it was like she found some other gear inside her that made her hands even more sure and quick, and somehow she could just see exactly what needed to be done, even through the bloody mess that obscured her view.

And then there was his face. Pale, deathly looking, but still so handsome. It shook her that she could remember every detail of what he looked like. She was usually so focussed on fixing the trauma that she didn't really know what a person looked like until she spoke to them afterwards when they woke up. "Carol? Are you okay?" Lori asked gently, as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm good, I promise," she lied. "What room was he taken to?" Normally she didn't visit a patient again until they were conscious so she could inform them of their injuries. Lori gave her the room number. "Anyone identify him yet?" She shook her head. It was a small town, eventually someone would recognize him or family would turn up.

Lori leaned in and gave her a hug. Carol hugged her friend back, not realizing until then how much she'd needed it. "I know you're not fine," she said, straightening up to look at her. "But I also know you're stubborn as a mule and won't tell me until you're ready. So when you need to talk you know I'm ready to listen."

"Thank you," Carol said sincerely. When Lori left she started to pace. Two consuming thoughts were swirling in her brain - there was something sinister going on in the Georgia woods - and the face of a man she didn't even know. One she couldn't do anything about, at least not until Rick arrived but the other… She left the prep room and headed for room 22B.

He was all alone, hooked up to machines, sleeping peacefully. She approached his bed slowly with a strange feeling inside her. It was hard to explain, but it was like that feeling you get in church when you can feel the power of God in the room. Goosebumps rose on her skin. She couldn't take her eyes off his face as she moved closer.

Carol shook off the feeling and put herself back in doctor mode momentarily. She checked his vitals and then the wound site for leaking. Everything was fine. He was fine. He was stable and soon the meds would wear off and he would wake up. How much would he remember about what happened, she wondered.

It had been hours since he'd been brought in and still no family had arrived. He wasn't carrying any identification on him, which was a bit strange given he should have had a hunting license. Carol looked around to make sure none of the nurses were headed in because she knew she was about to step into inappropriate territory. She reached out and touched his forehead, brushing back his hair. "Who are you?" she whispered. "And why were you brought here - to me?"


	2. Chapter 2

There was a knock followed by a familiar voice, "Carol?" It was Rick. "Sorry to interrupt - the nurse said you were in here." She quickly emerged from the room to meet him at the door. The curtain was drawn just enough that Rick wouldn't have seen the patient or known he was still sleeping. "Can I talk to him? Shane said you didn't want a statement done tonight but if he's awake I can just be quick…"

"No," Carol shook her head and ushered him out. "He's still sleeping. It's best if you come back in the morning."

"I could wait…" Rick offered.

"Jesus Rick," she snapped. "The man almost died, you can give him a few more hours. Besides," Carol added. "We need to talk." She led him to an empty supply room. "These aren't accidents," she said bluntly.

He didn't look at all surprised by her words. "I'm inclined to agree," he said, rubbing his eyes with a tired sigh. "The problem is - no one has seen anything strange or out of the ordinary. They all seem to be long range shots that very likely could just be stray bullets." He took a deep breath. "There are so many hunters out there, especially the first few weeks of deer season. Even if we could get lucky enough to find one of the bullets there are way too many potential suspects to start confiscating weapons for testing."

"So what do we do? Just wait? Wait for more people to come in here half dead? Someone is out there hunting hunters…" Carol felt sick. So many men and women looked forward to deer season and now some psychopath was picking them off for sport." A thought just occurred to her. "What if it's some animal rights activist gone crazy?"

Rick looked impressed. "That's an angle I hadn't considered yet. I'll get a couple guys on it first thing tomorrow." He paused and looked at her. "Lori told me you were beyond incredible today. She said that man was as good as dead and you somehow saved him."

Carol's heart started to beat a little faster. "All in a days work," she said with a shrug, trying to play it off casually even though inside she was freaking out that Lori had noticed the same things she'd felt.

"Nah," Rick shook his head. "You're something special. That man is lucky he ended up on your operating table."

"No one is lucky to be on an operating table," Carol said, giving him a look.

"Fair enough," Rick chuckled. "But if I happen to be dying I hope you're the one elbow deep in my abdomen."

Carol finally managed a smile, "Better not let Lori hear you flirting like that." They both chuckled. She had known Rick as long as she'd known Lori and they were all very close. Lori even jokingly called Carol Rick's "other wife." They were probably the only two people who always called Rick on his bullshit. Every once in awhile he got on a bit of a power trip and needed to be taken down a notch.

Rick looked at his watch. "It's still early enough… I think I'll go pay the Dixon brothers a call and see if they've witnessed anything unusual out there." Carol knew Daryl and Merle Dixon, but only by reputation. She'd never had the pleasure of meeting either one of them. She knew they spent a lot of time deep in the woods and she knew Merle, in particular, had a bit of a long and storied past with local law enforcement.

Rick gave her a quick hug and then left. Carol took a moment to gather her composure before exiting the supply room. She only had another hour on her shift, but she was considering sleeping in one of the on-call rooms because she wanted to be notified the moment her patient woke up.

A woman was walking towards her in the hall carrying a crossbow and some other things. Carol realized it was one of the new nurses they had hired recently, though she wasn't in uniform. She seemed a bit perplexed. "Allie? Are you okay?" Carol asked.

"Yeah, I'm looking for Rick, do you know where he went?" she replied.

"Oh you just missed him, what's up?" Carol asked.

"Well I just came in a while ago to grab my lunch bag I forgot last shift and I heard about the trauma victim. I asked if there was anything I could do to help and was handed these," she laughed, gesturing with the crossbow and something leather. "I guess the medics brought by the man's belongings and no one was sure what we're supposed to do with this thing so I was hoping the Sheriff would take it. I tried to clean the clothes a bit but he might just want to throw them out."

"Hmm," Carol thought for a moment. "Do you mind taking the bow to Zeke and asking him to put it in stores?" Ezekiel was part of the custodial crew and would have keys to the storage room in the basement. "I can take the rest and leave it in the patient's room."

"Of course Doctor Peletier," Allie nodded. "See you tomorrow." The young woman handed her the clothing and took off. She headed back to the man's room, grabbing a plastic bag they give patients for their belongings on the way. She set everything on the table and then picked up the jeans and shoved them in the bag. He would likely be throwing them out, along with the shirt that had been cut off him and was covered in blood. The last thing was a black leather vest. Carol held it up and looked at it. It was also covered with dried blood, but it was hard to see until she turned it around. The back had angel wings that used to be white but were half covered with dark, dirty red blood.

She studied the vest a little longer. Why did it seem familiar? She was pretty sure she'd never seen it before or chances were she would have also seen the man who'd been wearing it and she was 100% sure she'd never seen that face before. Angel wings. Leather vest. Crossbow. Those things seemed to describe someone she'd heard of but she just couldn't place it.

A sigh from across the room caught her attention. She moved to his bedside, but quickly realized he wasn't waking up - just dreaming. There was a little smile on his lips and he looked happy. It was certainly a good dream. Carol blushed slightly knowing what most good adult dreams tended to be about. She quickly looked at his left hand and then blushed again. What the hell am I doing?

She still had no clue who this man was. She felt a pang of anger that his family hadn't shown up yet, then reminded herself that it was just likely that they didn't know. Without thinking she found herself reaching for his hair again. Whether it was a coincidence or not his smile seemed to get bigger as she gently moved her fingertips through his hair. Before she had any clue what she was doing she leaned down and kissed his forehead. When she drew back her lips felt tingly and she was sure her heart was beating way faster than a mile a minute.

Slowly she pulled her hand away while she continued to look at him. Carol knew she needed to leave. She shouldn't have been there in the first place, touching him and kissing him. Christ, it was beyond inappropriate and could get her in serious trouble. "Any change?" Carol almost jumped at the voice. It was a pretty, young nurse named Sasha.

"Nope, still sleeping," Carol said quickly. "I just dropped off his belongings from the medics," she explained. "So I thought I would check the wound while I was here." She offered Sasha a bright smile, "Still looks good." With a wave she took off. She needed to get out of there. She needed air.


	3. Chapter 3

After stopping at the nurses desk to make sure they knew to page her as soon as her patient woke up Carol made her way outside. It was a typical cool Georgia night and this was her favourite time of year. She didn't spend a lot of time outside so she truly relished the quiet moments like this that she could wander and enjoy the fresh air. If only her mind was as calm and peaceful as the night.

The hospital had a walking path that was close to two miles long if you followed it all the way out and around the property. On a nice day it could almost get crowded with staff trying to get a few moments of fresh air on their breaks. She set a brisk pace and followed the path all the way around. Even after being on her feet all day she didn't really notice the fatigue until she was almost back to the staff entrance. It was time to get some sleep.

As she was going in there was a tall male nurse coming out. He'd asked her out once and she'd declined, but thankfully they really didn't see each other enough for things to get awkward because he worked in Psych and she rarely ventured anywhere near that wing of the hospital. "Night Tobin," she said politely. "See you tomorrow." Chances were she wouldn't see him, but she made conversation anyway.

"Nope," he grinned. "I'm off for a couple days. Going hunting. First chance I've had to get out this season.

Instantly a rush of adrenaline flooded her and Carol's heart started to beat with anxiety. It wasn't safe for anyone to be out in those damn woods right now, but she didn't know how much she could say with Rick still looking into things. "You should head up to the Tennessee border," Carol blurted out. "I've heard they aren't seeing too many around here but there are tons up that way."

"Oh yeah?" Tobin seemed intrigued by her lie and she felt guilty. But it was better he come home empty handed then in a body bag. Besides, maybe there really were lots of deer up near the state line. "I might just try that then."

"I'm dead serious," Carol added, hoping her emphasis would convince him to hunt far away from the local areas. "I know it's a bit of a drive but it'll be worth it - I promise."

"Thanks Car… uh, Doctor Peletier," he said. "I appreciate the tip." They lingered a moment but the way he was looking at her was making her uncomfortable. Carol knew she was a bit of a badass at the hospital because she was a great surgeon, so she was used to the looks of admiration from colleagues, but this was different. He was really smitten with her and she had no interest and didn't want to lead him on.

"Well goodnight," Carol said, quickly rushing inside to get away from him. She headed straight for the on-call room and was asleep in no time, until her pager woke her up just before 7am. She jumped up and went to the sink to splash her face with water, then she quickly rinsed her mouth with some strong mouthwash to at least tame the morning breath until she could properly take care of it.

"You patient is waking. He's been in and out for a few minutes so I expect he will be fully alert soon," Sasha explained as Carol approached the nurses desk. "We're just on shift change, any chance you want to stay with him while we swap off info?"

"Of course," Carol nodded. She didn't let on that she preferred it that way anyways. Finally she would get to find out the man's name. She tried to shake off the bubbles of excitement she was feeling by reminding herself he was a patient and therefore off limits, but still they remained. As she walked to his room she said a silent prayer that he had a wife or girlfriend waiting in there with him so she could completely rid herself of these feelings she was having.

The room was empty when she entered, just him in the bed - well, sort of. "Oh my God, what are you doing?" She bolted to the side of his bed where he was sitting up and looked ready to climb over the bed rail.

"Are you my nurse? I need help to get outta here. And where the fuck are my clothes?" he asked, looking around the room.

"Just relax sir," Carol said, trying to soothe him. "You just had major surgery… You almost died."

"I just want to go home," he said, trying to move again, this time he winced in pain. "I wanna see the doctor," he grunted, squeezing his eyes shut and breathing through the, very likely excruciating, pain.

"That would be me," Carol replied. It wasn't the first time someone had assumed she was a nurse. He opened his eyes and looked at her weakly, his cheeks burning. "Doctor Peletier," she added, making his blush deepen further.

"Sorry, I ain't.. I mean I didn't…" he started to mumble an apology.

"You're not the first and won't be the last," Carol shrugged it off. "It's okay."

The man sighed and slumped back onto the bed. "So when can I go home?" he asked softly.

Carol looked at him sadly. He had wild in his eyes like an animal that shouldn't be caged. "I'm afraid it's going to be a while," she admitted. "That pain you just felt - that's with a huge dose of morphine every 4 hours. If we let those drugs wear off you'll be in agony." His face somehow fell even further than it already was. "We also need to keep you on IV antibiotics for a few days to make sure you don't get an infection. And then there's a chance you'll need another blood transfusion and there's likely going to be some rehab…"

"Just stop," he said weakly. The tone was a bit angry, but it wasn't sharp - but that may have only been because he just didn't have the energy.

"I'm so sorry," Carol said genuinely. It was never easy to tell someone they would be stuck in the hospital a while. She wanted to scream at the part of her that was dying to smile at the thought of seeing him around for several more days. "Is there anyone I can call for you? Your wife? Girlfriend? Family?" Dammit, she could have just said family.

"Nah," he shook his head.

Carol wasn't quite prepared for that response. Often there were elderly patients that didn't have family, but he couldn't have been more than 40, 45… This was indeed strange. "You sure? There's no one you want me to inform that you're here?" He shook his head and she decided not to push any further right then. Hmm, no wife… no girlfriend… seriously, stop it! She was having a full argument going on inside her head. "Listen, I'm going to let you rest for a little while and the nurses will come in to check your vitals and make sure you're comfortable. But the police have been waiting to take a statement so I won't be able to hold them off too much longer…"

"Huh, usually it's my brother Merle they want to talk to," he mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Carol replied. "Did, uh, did you say Merle? As in Merle Dixon?" He nodded. "So you - you're Daryl?" He nodded again. It all started to make sense - the crossbow, the leather vest - and somewhere there was a motorcycle too. Why didn't she clue in earlier they belonged to the one and only Daryl Dixon? Her heart started to beat wildly again. Daryl. Dixon. He was what many called white trash and more polite people just called a bad boy or backwoods loner. So many stories over the years. He was the kind of boy your mama tells you to stay far away from. But she wasn't a child and he wasn't a boy any longer. He was a man - one of the most handsome men she'd ever seen. And she couldn't do a thing to shake the connection she felt to him or the attraction.

"Hey Doc?" his voice caught her attention. "You said you're coming back right?" This time it was her turn to nod. His eyes were fluttering and his voice was fading, but she was quite certain the last word he said was, "good." 


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: Just wanted to thank you guys for reading. Life is shit right now. My mom is sick again and it's an extremely stressful time. But I do look forward to reading your comments because they make me smile and I need that :) Thanks so much y'all!_

 **Chapter 4**

"He's pretty out of it," Rick sighed. "I got a statement, but he couldn't tell me much."

Carol shrugged, "He's got a lot of drugs pumping into him right now and he just had major trauma and surgery. I warned you to wait." She didn't have any sympathy for Rick's case, even though she knew he was just trying to do his job. She completely understood the necessity of finding the psychopath that was offing hunters but a few more hours until Daryl was feeling a little better wouldn't have made a difference.

"Well, when you called and told me it was Daryl I had to speak with him right away," Rick persisted. "I did learn that Merle is very likely out in those woods and should have been home already." Carol felt her stomach turn. Was she going to have to repair another Dixon in the near future? "But as far as I could understand… Daryl didn't notice anything out of the ordinary out there lately and he barely remembers much in the time leading up to being shot."

"Not surprising," Carol nodded. "Could be that there's nothing to tell or it could be the brain's way of protecting him from remembering the trauma."

"Thanks for letting me see him. I'm gonna go talk to some of the other locals who have been out there lately and see if anyone has seen anything suspicious," Rick said, turning to walk off.

Carol stopped him. "Hey… do you happen to know why Daryl might not want any visitors? He didn't want me to call anyone, not even Merle."

Rick looked curious. "He didn't mention anything. I can't imagine why he wouldn't want Merle to know where he was… if we could find him."

"Okay, just thought he might have said something to you," Carol replied, giving Rick a wave as they parted ways. It was really bothering her that Daryl had almost died and he had no one with him. She was way more used to dealing with terrified family members, crying and begging for anything good she could tell them. This was different and it was so unsettling.

As she went to check on him yet again she told herself it was because he had no one and she was just being kind. Carol tried to ignore the part of her that was pretty much laughing at her bullshit, telling her she knows she's visiting just as much for her as for him. That part of her was making her insane. It wasn't professional to feel that way. She had never even come close to going down that road and she just couldn't understand what it was about this man that pulled her towards him like a magnetic force.

Daryl was sleeping when she entered but when she lifted the blanket to check out the wound site he opened his eyes. "Hey Doc," he mumbled. "Glad it's you and not officer Friendly."

Carol smiled at him and then went back to examining the wound. The dressing needed to be changed and it wasn't going to be pleasant. "You might be wishing for Officer Friendly after I change this bandage," she said, looking at him apologetically. She got the supplies and went to work, trying to be as gentle as possible. She could tell he was really trying to be tough. "You can moan or groan or yell if you need to," she said. "I know this hurts like a son of a bitch, you don't have to be a tough guy." She almost added 'for me' at the end, but decided it might sound a bit too presumptuous.

He ignored her and kept up the act. "Don't nurses usually do this kinda thing?" he asked wincing as she put a little pressure on the bandage. "Ain't you got some fancy surgery to do or something?"

"Well, lucky for you no one needs surgery right now - well, at least not the kind I do," She smiled at him again. "But I'm pretty sure you're going to jinx it. Anytime someone points out a lull in action everything explodes." She quickly finished up and then covered him again with the blanket. "There, all done."

"Thanks," he said softly.

Carol knew it was really none of her business but she couldn't help but ask. "Why don't you want me to call your brother? Or someone…" She blurted out. Again, there's that unprofessional side, she thought, blushing slightly. "Sorry," she added quickly. "You don't have to answer that."

He studied her for a moment and Carol looked back at him, studying him as well. There was pain in his eyes and it was different than the kind she'd seen while changing the bandage. This was emotional pain - something she understood all too well. "Ain't really got anyone but Merle," he said finally. Daryl took a breath and looked around the room before speaking further. "We had a fight. Not long before I got shot. He took off and said I could find my own way back, that he was going home. I told him when I got back I was moving out." If Carol didn't know any better she would have swore he was going to cry.

"Daryl," she said gently. "He's your brother. He would want to know that you're here and that you could have died."

"Fuck him," Daryl snapped. "He didn't care back then and he don't care now." She was taken back by the pain and anger in his voice. Carol had no idea what he was talking about, but this time she knew not to push. Daryl needed rest and whatever was going on with his brother was upsetting him. She could already see changes in his vitals on the monitor. It was time to find a way to get him calm again.

She reached out and took hold of his hand, surprising them both, but it worked - he calmed immediately. "If you need anything you ask for me, okay?" she said, looking into his eyes to make sure he knew she was absolutely serious. "I'm your doctor until you walk out of this place and I want to make sure you're taken care of."

He was silent for a moment and then spoke. "Can I get more of those good drugs?"

Carol laughed. She was glad the tough guy act was wearing off. "I'll have the nurse order more morphine for you." When she went to take her hand away he gripped it tighter, just for a second, before finally letting go. It made her want to grab his hand again and hold it a little longer, but she forced herself to leave the room. He needed more pain meds and he needed some rest. As she walked out of the room Carol knew she'd be back soon - she just couldn't help it.


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: Thank you all for the comments. I'm really enjoying doing this one. I love the flirtatious aspect of early Caryl and it's really fun to write. I hope it's a fun read for y'all too._

 **Chapter 5**

Carol managed to stay away from Daryl's room the rest of the day, keeping busy by throwing herself into a new research project idea she had recently come up with. She had finished the lit review and was in the middle of her proposal to submit to the ethics board for approval to continue. There were no traumas that day so she was able to get a good chunk of work done before heading home exhausted.

When she returned to work the next day she started her rounds, planning on saving Daryl for last so she could spend a little extra time with him if she needed to. But after only seeing two of her patients she was passing by Daryl's room and heard a commotion inside. She quickly ran in to find him trying to get out of bed and a nurse attempting to convince him it was a bad idea. "Mr. Dixon, you can pee in this urinal, there's no need for you to get out of bed until physio is able to see you later today," Allie was trying to hand him a blue plastic bottle.

Daryl swatted it out of her hand and it flew across the room, landing with a clatter. Carol bit her lip and resisted the urge to laugh. He looked like a toddler having a tantrum. "I don't want to piss in no fucking jug, I wanna use the toilet," he growled, his face turning red in frustration.

Allie looked completely exasperated so Carol quickly took over. "I got this," she said to the young nurse. "Go ahead and check on your other patients." She gave Carol a grateful look and ran off. "How you feeling?" she asked, turning to Daryl with a smirk.

"I need to piss," he replied with a pout.

Carol crossed her arms. "You need to take a shit too don't you?" His face turned bright red. She knew he did. Many patients were the same. They didn't want to admit they needed to poop and that's why they didn't want to just use the urinal. "It's okay. Pooping after surgery is a good thing. Really good," she continued. "Some people can't go and need laxatives and suppositories… It can get really yucky." Carol laughed at the mortified look on his face. "Listen, you really shouldn't be up yet - Allie was right." Daryl started to protest but she continued, "I'll make you a deal. You get one shot at this… if you get dizzy or it hurts too much you're back in bed and you wait for the experts from physio. Sound good?"

He nodded eagerly and Carol helped him to his feet. He was fairly steady so she nodded and he took a step, then froze and looked mortified. It took her a moment but she soon realized the problem. "Relax," she said, grabbing the back of his gown to hold it closed. "I already saw your ass and pretty much every other ass that comes in this place on a stretcher." His face went beet red but he started walking again. She brought along his IV pole and they moved slowly but made it to the toilet without incident. He sat down as she let go of the gown. "Just yell when you're done okay? I'll wait out there," Carol pointed out to the room and then left, shutting the door behind her.

While she waited she busied herself tidying up the room. She changed his bed sheets with the fresh ones in the closet and poured a new cup of water from the jug on the bedside table. It was work that the nurses would typically do, but she had time while she was waiting. Carol wandered over to look out the window when she heard a groan followed by, "Oh god, fuck, ouch, son of a mother fucker." Well, he certainly has a mouth like a sailor, Carol thought as she took off for the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" she asked pulling open the door to walk in.

"Oh my God, I didn't call you," he hissed, looking up at her with damp eyes and a wad of toilet paper in his hand. Whatever movement he'd made had hurt enough to make his eyes water. "I can do this myself," he said stubbornly.

"Oh hell no," Carol shook her head. "If you rip those stitches I worked so hard on I'll be pissed."

"You ain't wiping my ass," he snapped.

Carol crossed her arms. "Well it's either me or that pretty young nurse that was just in here - take your pick."

"I can do it…" he went to reach with the toilet paper hand to prove it and cried out in pain. "Shit, I'm gonna puke," he moaned. Carol grabbed the garbage can, just in time and held it as he barfed.

"Is it really worth all of this?" Carol asked, lightly rubbing his back. "I'm a doctor. There are plenty of nurses here. This is what we do. We look after people, from stitching them up, to yanking out babies, to holding puke buckets and wiping asses." Daryl hung his head and mumbled something about wanting to die but she ignored him. "I'm going to get gloves and some wash clothes. Then once you're ready you can stand up and I'll clean you. Easy peasy."

"Easy peasy," he said in a mocking tone as she went to get supplies. She totally understood how embarrassing it could be for people to let others do things that you would much rather do on your own. But Daryl could easily tear his incision if he tried to reach to wipe.

"Ready?" she asked when she returned.

"Do I have a fucking choice?" he grumbled.

Carol shrugged. "Nope," she said, giving him a sweet smile. "Let's go Sunshine. Stand up, but let me know if you feel sick again, okay?" Daryl slowly stood and she quickly wiped him with toilet paper and then cleaned him better with a wet washcloth. "You won't be able to shower for a couple days, but the nurses will make sure to bathe you until you can." He sighed deeply.

She focussed on the task as best she could, but she would be lying to herself if she didn't admit she'd checked out his ass. It was definitely one of the nicer ones she'd seen. Afterwards she silently scalded herself for being completely unprofessional, but what's done was done and she had a feeling it wasn't the last time her mind was going to conjure up the image of his delightful rear end.

Carol helped him back to bed, noticing that he was quite exhausted by the time they got back there. It wasn't surprising that such a short walk wore him out and it was likely a good time for him to sleep instead of dwelling on the situation and how embarrassed he was. By the time she got his feet into bed his eyelids were already fluttering. "You should sleep," she said, when she noticed he was fighting it.

He looked at her, looked away, then looked at her again. "Thank you," he said softly. Carol nodded in understanding. "It hurts," he added. His face was pretty pale.

"I'll order you some morphine and something for the nausea," she said. "You did amazing," Carol added. "Physio is going to be very impressed."

Daryl scoffed, but she noticed the hint of a smile. "Hey, um, if you see Officer Friendly can you, um, maybe see if he's found Merle yet?" His voice was very quiet, almost a sleepy mumble. "I don't really fucking care but it ain't like I want him dead or nothing." Carol could tell that he was concerned about his brother. Whatever had happened between them wasn't enough to break the bond of family.

"Of course I wi…" Carol was cut off mid sentence by the sound of her pager. She quickly looked at it. "Dammit, there's a trauma coming in, gotta go," she started to run out. "I'll find out about your brother," she called back as she jogged away. Her heart was racing with adrenaline, like it always did on the way to meet an ambulance. You never knew what was coming at you or how bad it was until you saw it with your own eyes. And lately, there had been a lot of extremely bad injuries rolling up to the ambulance bay.

"Any idea what's coming?" Carol asked one of the nurses that had joined in a trot beside her, making their way to the front.

"Another GSW I think," she replied gravely.

"Yep," Lori confirmed, joining them. "But this is one of ours."

Carol's heart sank instantly. She'd warned him. She was so sure he was going to take her advice. Yet when the ambulance pulled up and the stretcher came out… it was Tobin lying there covered in blood. 


	6. Chapter 6

"Page neuro," Carol yelled as they raced for the OR. Tobin had been shot twice. The one in his upper torso she could take care of but the head wound would need a neurologist… if he even survived long enough for them to arrive. By the time she was scrubbed and back into the operating room he was already on his second bag of blood and his stats didn't look good at all. She would have guessed it had been well over an hour, maybe close to two, since the shooting by the time his buddies carried him out of the woods to the ambulance.

Carol zoned everything else out and went to work. She was suturing by the time Dr. Monroe arrived. The tiny woman was the most skilled neurosurgeon she had ever met. She'd arrived only a few months ago from the most prestigious hospital in the northeast, looking for a change of pace as she got close to retirement. If anyone could save Tobin it was her.

She finished up quickly and left things in Deanna's capable hands, but she walked out of the OR with a sinking feeling that was quickly confirmed by the squeal of monitors that brought her right back into the thick of things. Tobin was crashing. She ran back to help with CPR but when she met Deanna's eye she knew it was a lost cause. Even if they did get him back his brain was likely too damaged at that point. "Clear," someone yelled and she stepped back and watched Tobin's body jump as the paddles were applied. There was no change on the monitor so they upped the strength and tried again. Nothing.

It was on either her or Deanna to call it. Carol looked at her and the older woman nodded. "Time of death 11:52 AM," Carol announced as everyone stepped back, defeated. "This has got to stop," Carol growled, pulling off her gloves and slamming them into the trash. She knew everyone was looking at her as she stormed out, bumping into both Allie and a male nurse on the way out. She should have apologized but she just couldn't make herself stop to do it.

She was sick of losing patients, sick of these hunting "accidents" and sick of the fact that the public didn't know what was going on. Why didn't he just listen to me? Carol thought. Why? If only Tobin had stayed out of the local woods he would still be alive today. She knew for a fact that none of the other hospitals in the area had even had a single hunting accident since the season opened. They were all coming to her hospital because they were all happening in their region.

She was absolutely fuming when spotted Rick. "No you can't speak with him Sheriff Grimes because he's dead," she hissed under her breath so only Rick could hear her. Somewhere Tobin's family would be waiting and that wasn't the way they deserved to find out. "You have got to stop this," Carol said, her eyes flashing with anger. "People are dying - good people who don't deserve this… they need to know it's dangerous to be out there."

Rick sighed and nodded. "I've already called a press conference for this afternoon. This is gonna cause mass panic, but whatever it takes to keep people out of the woods until we figure this out."

"Why do you look like you still think this is a bad idea?" Carol asked. She could read Rick well and knew there was more.

"We have no idea of the motive. If this psycho can't keep killing out in the woods they might move to a new venue. If they're only killing hunters for some reason and we take away their targets… we may never find out who was doing this," he explained. "If we could just figure out why it would at least give us some sort of lead."

"Excuse me… Sheriff?" A man walked up to them. "I'm Carter - I was one of the guys who found Tobin out there… I just thought you should know that he was trying desperately to tell us something before he lost consciousness. We never could quite figure out what he was saying… Elf…Alfalfa… or Al… Alpha… maybe he was trying to say alphabet or Elk? We really don't know but just thought maybe it would mean something to you."

Rick looked thoughtful but shook his head, "Not yet… but thank you for sharing that with me. I'll have an Officer take your full statement soon, okay?" Carter nodded and left. "Any of that mean anything to you?"

Carol shrugged. "Do we even have elk here?"

"A few, but there's no open season for them so you can only hunt them on private land," he responded.

"I have no idea," she sighed. "Maybe one of the other guys will have a better idea of what Tobin was trying to say." Carol felt rage inside her rising up again. If he hadn't died… if they could have saved him maybe he actually had a clue as to what was happening out there. She was about to walk away when she remembered something, "Hey, you find Merle Dixon yet? Daryl was asking."

"Nope. I've had guys stop by the house a few times and left messages but nothing. I don't know that it's anything to worry about yet… sometimes guys stay out in the woods for several days," he said.

Carol couldn't ignore the anxious feelings in her stomach. "But Daryl seemed to think Merle was headed back home when they parted ways."

"We'll wait a couple more days and see if Daryl wants to file a missing person report. I still think it's too soon, but who knows…" His voice trailed off and he got a strange look on his face.

She read him like a book. "You're not thinking he's got something to do with this…" Carol was shocked. "He wouldn't shoot his own brother… leave him for dead."

"They did have a fight," Rick shrugged. "And we have no other leads at this point."

"Rick," she said in a warning tone.

"Carol," he warned back. "You do your job and I'll do mine. I shouldn't even be talking with you about this anyway." There was that little bit of arrogance that he had, shining through.

She was in no mood to deal with it so she turned on her heel and walked away. Rick could go fuck himself. They would make up later, they always did. But she was tired, stressed and still had to tell a family that Tobin was dead. She checked in at the desk and was told the family was waiting in the ICU waiting room. With a long deep breath she headed off to tell them, but ran into Deanna on the way. "It's done. I hope that's okay? I should have checked with your first, but you were so upset when you left…"

"Oh God, it's more than okay," Carol sighed with relief. "I've done way too many of those lately and I really wasn't looking forward to it." It was part of her job to speak with families in the good times and the bad, but no one ever looked forward to having to tell a family that someone had died. "Thank you," she reached out and took Deanna's hand. "I really appreciate it."

She nodded. "If you ever need to talk you know where to find me," Deanna offered before walking away. Even though they hadn't interacted much Carol really liked Dr. Monroe and she had a feeling there would be a time she took her up on the offer, knowing she wasn't just intelligent, but extremely wise too.

Carol started to wander. She still had patients to see and she had that damn research project to work on, but she just needed to find her focus once again before she got back into it. When she ended up at the door to Daryl's room she tried to tell herself she hadn't gone there on purpose, but she couldn't lie to herself. She wanted to check on him because she liked visiting him, she couldn't deny that. At least she had a reason to show up and didn't need to figure out an excuse.

"You look like shit," were the first words out of his mouth when she entered. "Uh… I mean, are you okay?" Daryl quickly tried to backpedal. "You don't look bad, you… you're really pretty like usual… I just mean I can tell you're upset."

For the first time in hours Carol smiled. He thought she was pretty. Or he was just covering his ass. Either way he called her pretty and it was enough to boost her mood and allow her to smile for a moment. "You really have a way with words," she teased. "Lost a patient today," she sighed, sinking into the chair by his bed.

"That emergency? When you took off earlier?" he asked.

Carol nodded, "Yep. It was a coworker."

"Fuck, I'm sorry," he replied, giving her a sympathetic look. "What happened?"

"Another hunting accident," Carol mumbled.

Daryl shook his head. "These ain't accidents. I had my suspicions but now I'm sure of it. Some fucker is out there shooting at people. I need to get out there and find them…"

"Like hell you do," Carol blurted out, standing up. "You'll be here several more days and then you're going to go home and rest until you're healed."

"You're pretty bossy," he shot back.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," Carol warned, trying to hide her smile. She liked the banter with him, even when she was totally serious. They chatted for a little longer when she decided she probably should get to why she was really there… well, the reason she was trying to convince herself of. "I talked to Rick and he hasn't been able to get ahold of Merle. They figure he's still out in the woods."

Daryl's face went white. "No, he said he was going home. He can't be out there still."

"Maybe he did come home and then went back out looking for you when you didn't turn up," Carol said, giving him a look. "Maybe you should have let me call him after all." After she said it she felt awful. If anything happened to Merle Daryl would blame himself and it would be her fault. "Hey, I'm sure everything is fine. He'll turn up soon and I'll make sure Rick lets you know when he does, okay?"

"Thanks," Daryl mumbled, but she could tell he was still feeling down. Carol took a step forward and reached for his hand. He looked surprised but let her hold it. It felt good and she soon realized that she needed it as much as he did. Her mind wandered to what it would feel like to hug him and have him hug her back. When her heart started to race she forced her mind back to the present and squeezed his hand before releasing it.

"I should go," Carol said softly. "But if I hear anything about Merle you'll be the first to know." There was no way she was going to tell Daryl that Rick was seriously considering his brother as a suspect. She left his room and ran smack into Lori - Literally. "Shit, sorry," she apologized.

Lori gave her a half smile and instantly she knew something was off. "It's okay, I was looking for you anyway… We need to talk."


	7. Chapter 7

When they found an empty room to talk in private Carol sighed and sunk down on a box of supplies in the corner. "If this has anything to do with Rick I think we should wait, he's not my favourite person right now."

"Nope, nothing to do with Rick, and trust me… I can appreciate that," Lori added with a smirk. "This has to do with you and a certain handsome patient…"

Carol gave Lori a curious look, trying really hard to pretend she had no clue who Lori was talking about. "What patient?" she asked.

Lori crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "You know exactly who I mean. The one you keep visiting… Mr. Dixon."

Carol shrugged. "I don't know what you're going on about. You know I visit all my patients."

"Mmm, hmm… but you don't look at them all the way you look at Daryl," Lori replied.

Carol sighed again. "He almost died. You know I've lost a lot of patients lately. It felt good to have a win with him I guess."

"The paralyzed patient in B2 almost died too… yet you only check on him once a day during rounds…" Lori let her voice trail off.

"Jesus, what's with you?" Carol growled. "Physio has taken over the case, he's not critical anymore…"

"Neither is Daryl," she piped up.

"Fuck off," Carol snapped in exasperation. "Sorry," she added quickly. She couldn't remember ever telling her best friend to fuck off before when it wasn't just teasing.

"Shit Carol… you're taking me all wrong," Lori said, coming to sit beside her. She picked up Carol's hands. "I'm happy for you. I think this is a good thing. Maybe even great."

"Wh...what are you talking about?" Carol stammered. "Even if I was interested… he's a patient… I can't… it's unprofessional… unethical…"

Lori grinned at her and Carol knew she'd just completely given away that she had a stirring inside for Daryl… as if it mattered - Lori already knew. "He's not going to be a patient forever. He's gonna get better and he's gonna leave here… and when he does I think you should make sure you have a plan to see him again."

"No. No," Carol shook her head. "I can't… it's not right." She had already thought about the very thing Lori was suggesting, wondering if she could somehow find out Daryl's hang out spots in conversation and then just happen to show up there a few times. But so far the only place she knew he liked to go was the woods and she needed him to stay far away from there.

"Carol, listen to me…" Lori squeezed her hands. "You have not shown even a scrap of interest in men since you left Ed. You've become a workaholic, addicted to your job and not much else."

"Is that such a bad thing? I'm good at what I do. People need me, especially now. Besides," Carol said stubbornly. "I've been on a few dates."

"What? Like 3 or 4? What's that? One a year? And did you ever see the same guy more than once?" Lori raised her eyebrows.

Carol gave her a harmless glare, "You know they all sucked."

"Jesus woman, when's the last time you've been laid?" Lori nudged her and laughed.

Carol blushed and let out a long breath. "Uh… It's been a while. A long… long… while." Lori was her best friend, she knew how long it had been since Carol had slept with anyone. There was a drunk one night stand with a much younger, smoking hot fireman right after she left Ed that she chalked up to either a celebration fuck or temporary insanity and nothing since.

"Seriously Carol, you need this. For some reason this man has caught your attention without even trying when countless guys have worked their asses off for it and got nothing. You can't ignore that. Promise me you won't," Lori begged.

"I don't know if I can make that promise," Carol whispered. "It's just… it's not right. What will people think? My colleagues aren't going to approve…"

"Who gives a shit what anyone thinks?" Lori replied eagerly. "Nothing might come of it anyway and if this does turn out to be something more… by the time people find out it won't matter anymore anyway. Doctors see former patients, nurses too. It's not as big of a deal as it used to be. In other countries it's not even an issue at all." Carol gave her a skeptical look. "I'm serious. Those student nurses that were here on exchange with the College last year… they had lots of stories to tell. They didn't understand a lot of our customs because things are very different where they're from."

"But we're not in other countries… we're here," Carol responded.

"You need to relax and go with it." Lori tapped her chest. "Use your heart for once instead of that oversized, beautiful brain." Carol looked at her friend and she wanted so badly to do what Lori was saying, but the internal struggle was raging. "The look I see on your face when you leave his room is something I have never seen from you before. He asked about you during the night too…"

"He did?" Carol perked up. "How come I wasn't paged?"

Lori laughed at her eagerness. "It was the middle of the night and he was higher than a kite on morphine." She bit her lip and smirked. "I believe he called you the silver haired foxy doc with great tits and pretty blue eyes."

Carol felt a flutter inside and her heart started beating faster. She blushed slightly, but she was way too intrigued by his under the influence loose tongue. "Well at least he noticed my eyes too," she joked.

"I thought you should know that he's clearly taken an interest in you too," Lori replied with a grin. "Sometimes a good dose of pain meds is just like truth serum." Lori snickered.

"Or he was just acting crazy in a drug induced state," Carol muttered.

Lori shook her head. "Nope, he seems like a pretty quiet and shy guy for the most part, but the morphine gave him some courage. He's got the hots for you Darlin'."

"You're exaggerating," Carol said quickly, but inside her chest her heart was doing flip flops. Was it really possible? Was Daryl really attracted to her? He was likely just thankful that she saved his life.

"Trust me… he wants you and your great tits," Lori laughed.

Carol looked down the v-neck of her scrubs. "They're not even that big," she mumbled.

Lori looked down at her own chest. "Not all men like big boobs ya know. At least that's what Rick tells me."

"Rick, ugh," Carol growled.

"Not that I want to change the subject or spoil your mood… but any chance you want to tell me what my lovely hubby has done to piss you off?" Lori asked.

"He's going to investigate Daryl's brother - for the hunters getting shot," Carol hissed. "His brother. Does he really think Daryl's own brother would try to kill him? I've known the guy for a couple days and never even met Merle but I can already tell they're close. I know they had a big fight, but they're blood and that will never change."

"Carol, you know they don't have any other leads right now…" Lori tried to be rational.

"Yeah, but if Daryl finds out they are treating Merle as a suspect, rather than a missing person it's going to upset him…" She let her voice trail off when she saw the wide grin on her friends face. "What?"

"You're already protecting him. You're practically married," she teased.

Carol rolled her eyes, "You're too much." Before she could add anything else Lori's cell rang.

"The press conference is on the news, let's go find a TV," Lori announced after hanging up.

By the time they got to the lounge it was already packed with people watching the TV. They had missed the start but clearly Rick had told everyone that they believed there was a psychopath out in the woods, trying to kill hunters.

"Sheriff, do you have any leads? Any suspects?" a reported asked.

"We do have one lead we're looking into and a possible suspect, but we haven't been able to locate him for questioning," Rick replied. Carol felt her stomach lurch.

"What's his name?" a voice in the crowd yelled.

"We would like to keep that confidential at this time," Rick responded.

His response caused an uprise in the crowd, with lots of yelling and chaos. "If there's a suspect at large we have the right to know. What if we spot him? What if he strikes again and we could have stopped him? What if we know him?" The questions continued to be shouted from the crowd.

Carol saw Rick look over at someone and then he held up a hand. "The suspect we're looking for…" No, no don't do it, Carol silently prayed to no avail. "Is Merle Dixon." The room started spinning and she didn't hear anything else that was said after that. It wasn't until someone shut off the TV and people started to prepare to leave the room that she snapped out of it.

"Listen up," Carol yelled, quickly blocking the door. "Don't any of you breath a word of this to my patient," she said sharply. "Daryl does not find out about this, got it?" Every head in the room nodded. Satisfied she turned on her heel and spun, storming out of the room. What a damn mess, she thought. Without a care of who might see her she headed straight for Daryl's room. He would have no clue that his brother was a suspect in his own attempted murder, yet she still needed to make sure he was alright. This time she acknowledged it was more for her, because she couldn't deny any longer that she was falling for this man she barely knew.


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: This one is kinda long compared to the rest, it got away from me :) Hope you guys enjoy. Hopefully things will heat up a bit soon ;)_

 **Chapter 8**

It was 5 days after the press conference and Daryl still had no clue that his brother was a suspect in his own attempted murder. No other suspects had come up during the investigation and so far there hadn't been another "accident" since Tobin. Carol realized it was very likely due to the fact that few hunters were risking going out locally and instead driving up closer to Tennessee or down near Alabama to hunt where it was safer.

Carol had visited him every day and she knew no one had told him about Merle - they didn't dare cross her on that. But the problem was… he was doing really well and Carol knew she was going to have to discharge him soon. In all honesty she likely could have safely released him the day before if she trusted he would take it easy for a few days at home. She knew the second he heard about Merle he would be all over looking for his brother… and that likely meant heading out into those woods where Carol was convinced there was a murderer that was NOT Merle Dixon.

Carol knew she couldn't keep him from going into the woods forever. They had talked about how much he loved being out there and how it made him feel free. He was having a really hard time being stuck in the hospital and he was itching to get home. She just hoped and prayed that Rick would solve the case soon… preferably before she discharged Daryl the next day.

The next issue she had was when was the appropriate time to tell Daryl the truth and if she was the one who should do it. She was pondering that thought over her morning coffee when Rick knocked on the doorframe and entered. "I'm going to talk with Daryl, just wanted to give you a heads up out of courtesy."

Carol jumped to her feet. "What about? Has something happened? Did you find Merle? Wait, you're not going to tell him Merle's a suspect are you?" The words all came out at once, which wasn't surprising given the decision she'd been pondering.

Rick blinked at her and sighed. "You know I can't tell you about an on going investigation."

Carol glared at him. "You're not the goddam FBI Rick. This is a small town case that I'm very much involved in given the fact I've spent the last couple weeks trying to put your victims back together. Besides, if what you're about to tell Daryl could potentially upset him… you can consider me a medical specialist. I'll sign a confidentiality agreement if you want me to. Just tell me what the hell is going on."

Rick looked around the room to confirm it was empty and then shut and locked the door. He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to her. "You're officially a medical expert on the case, I trust we don't need to sign anything and this stays between us." Carol took the paper and opened it. "We had surveillance on Merle's place while we were waiting for a search warrant. A woman went inside and left less than a minute later. Once we got the warrant we went in and found this on the counter. We've been watching the place since the press conference. The woman must have left that note because Merle never entered that house. I have men out looking for her now to confirm."

Carol read the scratchy handwriting: _Daryl, I don't know where the fuck u are but it seems the cops think I'm a murderer killing people in the woods. Til they figure out who the fuck is really offing ppl I'm gonna disappear. Catch ya on the flip side. M._ "He doesn't even know Daryl almost died," she said sadly. There was so many more things she could have said, but that fact hurt her deeply. "Come on Rick… that right there has to tell you he's innocent."

Rick shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe he's one step ahead of us and wants us to think that."

"Oh for fuck's sake Rick," she snapped. "You know as well as I do that Merle Dixon is innocent. You need to figure out plan B before the hysteria dies down, people resume hunting locally and the killings start up again."

"Right now I need to talk to Daryl and see if he knows where his brother might go to hide," Rick stated, heading for the door.

"Hold up, I'm coming with you." Rick gave her a look. "We don't know how Daryl will react to the news. He should have a doctor there while you tell him." He rolled his eyes slightly, but didn't protest.

When they got to Daryl's room he was alone, staring out the window. "Hey," she said gently. The instant smile that found his lips at the sound of her voice made Carol's heart skip a beat. The last couple of days she'd really started to notice the way he responded to her visits and she was actually starting to believe that maybe he was just as interested in her as she was in him. She glanced over at Rick and realized that he noticed too by the slight smirk he was giving her. Perhaps her bestie had already mentioned something to her dear pain in the ass husband. "I have good news and bad news," Carol announced to Daryl. "The good news is… you get to go home tomorrow. The bad news…" she jerked a thumb towards Rick. "Officer Friendly wants to talk to you." Her and Daryl shared a smile at Rick's expense.

"It's Sheriff Friendly," he said, giving them both a bit of an arrogant sneer. "Let's just get right to it…"

"Uh... " Carol interrupted. "Maybe that's not the best way to approach this," she looked at Rick and then took over. Men were so damn insensitive. "Daryl," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "There was a press conference the other day about the shootings and, well.." she spoke calmly and gently. "The Sheriff…" She let the words hang a moment. "Believes that your brother is the main suspect.."

"What? You're fucking joking right?" Daryl jumped in, glaring at Rick. "My brother? He wouldn't try to kill me. This is the dumbest shit I've ever heard. They seriously pay you to be so damn stupid?"

"You said you two had a big fight," Rick protested. "And he disappeared. Won't answer calls. And then there's this…" He handed Daryl the note.

Carol watched him read it. She was trying to figure out his facial expressions, but the reaction wasn't what she was expecting and she couldn't quite figure it out. Finally Daryl handed it back to Rick and spoke calmly, the anger had strangely faded. "Well, seems to me this right here says my brother ain't the murderer. So I guess you should get back to the drawing board and figure out who is before more people die."

Rick took the note. "Do you know where he would go? Where we might find him? If you know and don't tell us you can be charged with harboring a fugitive."

Daryl shrugged. "I know where he is, but it ain't gonna help you none."

"How so?" Rick asked.

"He'll be hiding out in the woods… no one knows those woods like Merle. You ain't gonna find him unless he wants you to." Daryl shrugged again. "Sorry Officer... Uh, I mean Sheriff." He tipped his head and saluted in a condescending manner and Carol had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

Rick looked angry, but tried to remain formal, "Well if you think of anything that might help please contact us at the station."

"Will do," Daryl replied. Rick nodded and hesitated like he was waiting for Carol to leave so she gave him a wave to indicate he could go without her.

Once Rick was gone she eyed Daryl for a moment. "What?" he asked, feeling her look at him. "He a friend of yours?" He clearly thought she was upset with him for being snotty with Rick.

"Yeah, but he can be a dick sometimes. He deserved that," Carol replied, while she continued to study him. "But there's something else… you're way too calm about all this. You know where Merle is, don't you?" Daryl shook his head but didn't speak. He was a terrible liar. Rick knew it too, that's why he'd been so annoyed. "I won't say anything to Rick, I swear. I know Merle isn't the killer and I think it's a big waste of time to even go down that road." She took a deep breath. "Just tell me… do you know where Merle is?"

"I don't know, nope…" Daryl let his voice trail off. "But I'm pretty sure if I went out in the woods I could find him."

"How?" Carol asked curiously.

Daryl looked around as if he thought Rick might still be listening. "When me and Merle was kids we used to play our own version of hide and seek, but in the woods. We would leave clues for the other to track. I'm pretty sure Merle will have left a trail out there for me to follow if I need to find him - like when his innocence is proven and he can come home."

Carol started to smile. If Daryl was right it meant so many things, but most importantly it meant that things would be just fine between the brothers. She didn't know either of them well, but she truly believed the men needed each other in their lives. "Are you excited to get home?" she asked, changing the subject.

His reply was more hesitant than she was expecting. "Yeah, for sure," he said finally.

"You have to promise me you'll take it easy for another couple of weeks…" she warned.

"Two weeks? Really? What do ya mean by 'take it easy?'" he asked.

"No hunting. Stay out of those damn woods," Carol said in a serious tone.

He nodded. "I'll try Doc. Promise." Carol sighed. She didn't trust him one bit. She was sure the second he got out he would be right back out there. Whether it was to look for Merle or to actually hunt. "Hey," he added softly. She looked down and saw that his hand was so close to hers their pinky fingers were touching. "I really will try. I know you don't believe me, but as great as this place is… I don't want to end up back in here."

When Carol left the room she actually believed him. But she had a sleepless night that night thinking about the fact that he was going and she didn't know when she would see him again. She thought about what Lori had told her - she needed to get his number or find out how to see him again. But how? Nothing came to her and eventually she fell asleep, exhausted.

The next morning she went to his room to release him… and say goodbye. Someone had found him some clothes to wear home and he looked like he was all ready to go. It hit her harder than she wanted to admit seeing him ready to take off. She focused on just being his doctor and formally went over his discharge instructions, gave him a prescription for painkillers and an antibiotic and it was done. "There, you're officially outta here," she finished with a smile. The paperwork was submitted, the info was entered in the computer and Daryl was now no longer her patient. "Ready to go?" she asked, plastering on a smile. She should have been happy for him, getting to go home, but she was feeling sad and missing him even before he was gone.

"There's just one thing before I go…" He said. Carol's heart started to pound, wondering what he was going to ask. "I need my crossbow back."

"Oh right," Carol giggled nervously. As if she had thought he was going to ask her out or something. "Come with me." She led him to the storage area and thankfully her key card let them in. "Oh damn… it's way up there," she said, pointing to the top of the cabinet.

"I can just climb up…" he started.

"Uh, no," Carol stopped him. "Take it easy - remember?" She saw a ladder in the corner and moved it in place then climbed up. It wobbled slightly and the next thing she knew Daryl was behind her, bracing it. She blushed knowing his face was inches from her ass. She reached up and grabbed the weapon. "Got it," she announced. He didn't back off as she climbed down and set the crossbow on the counter. He was right behind her and she could feel his body heat. Her heart was racing. Pounding so hard she was sure she might pass out.

"Thanks," he whispered, his breath warm on her skin because they were so close.

"You're welcome," she got out somehow. Heart still pounding she turned around to face him. This time it was very easy to read his face because she saw in him exactly what she was feeling too. "Daryl…" she whispered. "Ask me out for dinner." Carol knew she was being presumptuous but if he wasn't going to make a move she had to do it. He was no longer her patient so all bets were off with the whole doctor patient issue that had held her back all this time.

He blushed, but held his ground. "Will you go for dinner with me tonight?" he said, his voice low and so sexy it made her body tingle.

"No," she said, shaking her head. The look of shock on his face made her laugh. "Not tonight, I have to work, but I'm off tomorrow."

"Tomorrow. Okay," he confirmed. "Where should I pick you up?" Daryl's face was still very pink, but it just made him even cuter.

Carol gave him her address. "You won't forget it, will you?" she asked.

"Nope, never." Daryl repeated it to her with a half smile. "I'll be there at 7."

Carol pursed her lips and gave him a flirty look. "Sounds perfect." She resisted the urge to grab his damn face and kiss him full on the mouth because she was so damn turned on at that point she knew she would lose all control. She ducked under his arm and put some distance between them. "Tomorrow," she said softly, looking at his face one last time before turning away to lead him out of the room. The next day and a half was going to seem like an eternity, but she'd done it - and should couldn't wait to tell Lori. 


	9. Chapter 9

Daryl knew the cops had executed a search warrant at him and Merle's place but he wasn't prepared for the mess he found when he walked in. "Fuckers," he muttered under his breath, looking around at the empty drawers that had been dumped and the absolute chaos before him.

He'd promised Carol he was going to take it easy for a few days but he couldn't even function in the mess so he had no choice but to start putting the place back together. As soon as he went to work he got lost in his thoughts and his mood quickly improved.

It had shocked him when Carol told him to ask her out. Even though he had a slight inkling she was interested in him he figured he was wrong and she was just intrigued by what had happened to him or felt sorry for him. Daryl was quite sure he wasn't her type. But at least he was going to get one date… maybe two if he didn't totally fuck up the first one.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second. He pictured her face, her pretty smile and those beautiful eyes. He loved the way she looked in her uniform and how he could still see her curves even under the standard hospital scrubs the doctors wore. And there was that time she leaned over and he got a really good look down the front of her shirt. He'd almost got hard right there in the hospital bed at the sight of her plump round tits threatening to spill out of the white lacy bra she was wearing.

Fuck, she was hot, but she was also brave and intelligent and funny and kind… the list went on and on. She was everything any guy could hope to have so why the hell was she still single? And why the hell was she interested in him?

Daryl was almost done cleaning the living room when he realized he probably should have gave some thought to Merle and his current situation instead of spending every second day dreaming about Carol. But the truth was… there wasn't really much he could do at that point. It wasn't just his promise to Carol - he actually knew that he wasn't ready to go tromping through the woods when even moving from sitting to standing still hurt. It would be at least a few more days before he could go out there. And even then… there was no point in finding Merle until he was cleared. He would be just fine out there for quite a while. Daryl knew he would have packed supplies and he would hunt food. Merle could probably survive longer than anyone he knew.

So with that all settled in his mind for the time being he allowed himself to move back to thinking about Carol. They were going on a date. Dinner. But where was he supposed to take her? Would she be expecting something fancy? Did he need to find a damn suit? Nah, she had to know he wasn't the suit type. She was smart and it was clear fine dining wasn't in Daryl's repertoire. So something more casual for sure, but what kind of casual? Like Olive Garden casual? Applebees? Or just a local pub maybe? Daryl chucked a bunch of things into a drawer and shoved it back in the stand with a loud bang. He needed advice and he needed it soon before he drove himself crazy.

It didn't matter that Merle wasn't there because it wasn't something Daryl would ask him about anyway because once he was done teasing him about getting laid for two hours his advice would be - do whatever you need to do to get laid. There was someone he could go to for advice though. Daryl gave up on the clean up and grabbed the keys to his truck. It looked like rain so he opted to leave the motorcycle in the garage - even though he was dying to ride. The drive was only a mile or so, he could have even walked if the skies weren't so black.

He pulled into a little parking lot - Green Family Veterinary Clinic. The owner was a man named Hershel that Daryl had happened upon one day at a bar. They had a long conversation while Daryl downed way too many doubles of Jack. It wasn't until Hershel left and offered up glass of scotch in front of him that Daryl had realized the older man hadn't drank at all. Three months later Daryl found a wounded puppy in the woods and took him to the nearest clinic - just happened to be Hershel's. That was close to three years ago and since then they had met many times for a "drink" and chat. There was something fatherly about Hershel that Daryl was drawn to. He was a father to two girls - Beth and Maggie, but he treated Daryl a lot like a son and Daryl really looked up to him given his own father had been the worst of the worst.

Hershel was in the back restocking supplies. There didn't appear to be any clients waiting so Daryl hopped up onto the counter and sat their silently watching. "I know you don't typically say too much, but I get the sense you've got something you wanna say," Hershel said, pausing to give him a look. "Has it got to do with your brother?"

Daryl had forgot for a moment that everyone knew that Merle was a suspect. "Nah, that's bullshit. Merle ain't the psycho… he wouldn't have tried to kill me," Daryl lifted his shirt to show the bandage.

"Jesus Christ Daryl…" Hershel grabbed a chair and sat down. "You were shot?" Daryl nodded and told Hershel the story. "Yeah, I don't know your brother well… but it sure seems like the Sheriff has the wrong suspect this time." Daryl nodded and was silent again for a moment. "Is there something else?" Hershel asked. He'd gotten really good at knowing when Daryl was just quiet and when he was lost in thought.

There was no sense in beating around the bush. "I got a date tomorrow night," he blurted out. "And I ain't got a clue where to take a woman like her for dinner."

Hershel narrowed his eyes. "Woman like her…" he repeated. "Damn Son, it's the surgeon who saved your life isn't it?"

Daryl narrowed his eyes too. "How'd ya know?"

"You called her by name - Carol. You didn't say Doctor," he replied. "But it wasn't just that - it was that dopey look on your face when you talked about her."

"Fuck," Daryl muttered. He'd seen that damn look on his own face in the bathroom mirror one day after Carol had visited him. He thought he had it under control, but apparently not. "Well whatever… you gonna help me or not?"

"Of course I am you Jackass," Hershel chuckled. "She's a doctor, not a debutante. You don't have to worry about where you take her for dinner - she won't care." Daryl perked up at the good news. "Now, I wouldn't recommend a fast food joint…" He snapped his fingers. "You should take her to O'Connell's." Daryl furrowed his brow at the suggestion of the very pub him and Hershel had met at. "Trust me. It's somewhere you're comfortable and believe me… you being comfortable will be the most important thing." It was starting to make sense. "If you try to go somewhere out of your comfort zone you're gonna be all nervous and fidgety. You go to O'Connell's and you'll be way more relaxed. They have great food and those cozy booths in the back. You know it's pretty quiet in the middle of the week too."

Daryl nodded. He was feeling better already. Hershel was so wise and always gave great advice. The anxiety he was feeling about the date was already starting to ease up some. "What else do I need to know?" he asked. "I ain't really done this dating thing in forever… or ever…" Daryl was trying to remember if he'd ever actually been on a real, true date. Mostly he hooked up with women at the bar or at parties first, a few he might have taken out a time or two, but usually just for drinks or happy hour, some sex and that was about it. "Should I take her flowers or something?"

Hershel nodded, "You could, if you want to give her the impression you're romantic."

"Maybe I am romantic," Daryl scoffed. He had a sensitive side, but in all honesty romance hadn't been something he'd had any practice in.

"Trust your gut," Hershel suggested. "If you think she would like a bouquet of flowers or a rose then do it. You're not going to offend her with a sweet gesture even if she's not a flower kind of girl." Daryl nodded and decided he would figure it out the next day. "Don't be so nervous. She already said yes when you asked her out so she's interested. You're a handsome guy and… when you actually let people get to know you they'll see you have a big, kind heart." Daryl looked shyly at the floor. "Just be yourself and she'll love you."

"Do you think she'd care if I picked her up on my bike?" he asked, quickly shifting the conversation.

"Ask her first," Hershel replied.

"You mean, like… call her? Today?" Daryl felt knots in his stomach.

"Why not? See if she would be okay with going to dinner on a motorcycle. Gives you a good excuse to talk to her too," Hershel laughed.

They chatted a bit more and then a client came in with an adorable black lab pup. Daryl said goodbye and left Hershel to his patient. He went home and cleaned up a bit more while he paced and debated whether to call Carol or not. He finally decided to send her a text. Do you mind if I pick you up on my motorcycle tomorrow? He hit send and then stared at the phone for a moment. There was no reply and he felt foolish for thinking there would be. Eventually he made himself put down the phone and continue cleaning up, but he couldn't help checking it every 5 to 10 minutes and was only disappointed each time.

He was about ready for bed when his cell started ringing. It was her. His heart went frantic and Daryl had to sit down before he answered. "Hello?"

"Hey you," Carol said brightly. "I hope I didn't wake you. When I'm on night shift I always forget that other people should be sleeping."

"Nah, it's fine," he replied. "I was still up. Cops made a fucking mess… I've been cleaning for hours."

"Uhhhh you're supposed to be resting," she warned.

"I know, I know… I'm gonna go to bed soon and get lots of sleep - promise." If she could have seen what a mess the police had made she would have understood.

"You better or I'll come find you and tie you down," she teased. Daryl couldn't help but take the statement to a very sexual place that wasn't intended. Something about her hunting him down and tying him up was so erotic, even if he wasn't normally into that kind of thing. He was too lost in his little fantasy to reply so eventually she spoke again. "So, yeah… the motorcycle is fine. Do I need to wear anything specific? I don't have a helmet…"

"I'll bring an extra," Daryl replied quickly, already excited that she had agreed to ride with him. "Pants are best and shoes or boots that cover your feet - no sandals. If you have a leather jacket or jean jacket that's a good idea too, but you don't have to."

"Okay, sounds good," she said. "Shoot, my pager just went off gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow night and REST," she said loudly before she was gone.

Daryl sighed and looked at the time. 12:35 am. 19.5 hours to go.


	10. Chapter 10

It wasn't until the next morning at work, while she was fantasizing about wrapping her arms around Daryl on his motorcycle, that Carol realized it probably wasn't a great idea for him to be riding yet. She went back and forth most of the day but finally decided she wouldn't say anything or 'change her mind' because she worried that if she took one more thing away that he loved doing it might prompt him to go back into the woods sooner rather than later… and that was the last thing she wanted.

Near the end of her shift she went to the on call room, planning to catch a quick nap. She'd started early that morning and expected to be out fairly late with Daryl so she wanted to be sure she was rested. It was amazing what a quick nap could do. When she entered though, the room was already in use. Sprawled sideways across the bed were three bodies - three very tired nurses. She hadn't been quiet when she entered so they all stirred. Sasha sat up and rubbed her eyes, followed by Ali and another nurse name Keely. "Sorry Dr. Peletier," Sasha mumbled with a yawn. "We've all worked so much lately including a double yesterday…"

"It's fine, get some more rest while you can. I'm almost done for the day anyway," Carol replied politely. They all started to protest but Carol shushed them. "Shh, it's all good. Go back to sleep before things get crazy again." She backed out of the room and shut the door. Things had been absolutely insane the last few days and the staff, especially the nurses, had been running like mad. They needed the rest a lot more than she did. She really wasn't all that tired anyway so she opted to head to the cafeteria and get a big cup of coffee instead.

She was in her office, sipping the coffee with a ridiculous grin on her face when Lori appeared. She tried to hide the smile but it was no use. "What on earth has got into you?" Lori asked, instantly smiling too. "It's good to see you at work without a serious scowl."

Carol shrugged. "No one died today. It's a good day."

"It's more than that…" Lori replied, narrowing her eyes. "Does it have anything to do with that handsome former patient by any chance?"

"Maybe…" Carol replied coyly.

Lori squealed. "Oh my God… what's going on? Did you go out? Did he kiss you? Did you…"

"Woah, woah, slow down," Carol interrupted. "We haven't even been out yet. But we're going out - tonight."

Lori squealed again and hugged her. "Wait… why are you still here? It's 5… you've already been her like what? 12 hours? Go home! Have a long shower! Shave everything - just in case! Put on something sexy. Shit, do you even own anything sexy?"

"Shut up," Carol swatted at her. "Of course I have sexy clothes." She was thinking as she said it, wondering if she was totally lying. Nah, there had to be something in her closet other than scrubs, hoodies and jogging pants. "And I am not shaving everything," she hissed. "My legs and armpits will do." The two of them had debated about whether or not women should go full brazilian or not. It really hadn't mattered much before then though since she was the only one who'd be seeing that area of herself anyway. "Besides, what makes you think I'm a sex on the first date kind of girl anyway?"

Lori rolled her eyes. "Because you have got laid in like forever. Just wait… if he kisses you'll probably jump his bones."

Carol laughed. "Yeah we'll see." She was effectively ending the conversation.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop... besides you need to get out of here anyway." Lori grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet then hugged her. "Have fun! And I want alllllllllll the details tomorrow, got it?" Carol hugged her back and nodded, then did as she was told and headed home.

It was surprising how long it took her to get ready. She changed clothes 15 times and ended up back in the jeans, boots, blouse and leather jacket she'd started in. She had to admit the jacket made her look hot. She'd also put on a few pounds since she'd last wore the jeans and she now filled them out perfectly with her curves. She had been so thin for a while after her and Ed split, but she was much healthier now. At 745 she was finally all ready to go. She ran back to the bathroom and brushed her teeth one final time, just to be sure her breath was fresh.

She started to pace, waiting for him to show up. 12 minutes to 8… 11… 10… When the countdown got to 5 she heard the roar of his bike approaching. She quickly peeked outside and her heart raced. He parked the bike and stepped off then removed his helmet. Like her Daryl was wearing jeans and a leather jacket. He looked so damn sexy it took her breath away. "Get yourself together," she whispered out loud. Carol backed away from the window and then ran to the kitchen so it didn't seem like she was waiting by the front door like she'd been.

The doorbell rang and she sucked in a deep breath. "Coming," she called out as she ran for front door. She pulled it open with a big smile. "Hi," she gasped, hoping he assumed it was racing to the door that took her breath away.

"Hi," he replied back, clearly nervous. The fact he was nervous made her so much more relaxed. "You… uh… you look really nice," he mumbled the compliment awkwardly, though she could tell it was genuine.

"You clean up nice yourself," she teased, reaching out to pat the leather on his chest. When she touched him she let her hand linger over his heart. She didn't want to take it away and he didn't seem to mind it being there. "Have you been feeling okay?" She said softly, as she looked up at him, eyes wide.

"Mmm hmm," he replied with a little nod. "Pain's a lot better and the incision looks like it's healing. Can't believe how fast that happens."

"The outside heals fast, but the inside takes much longer to repair itself," Carol said. Without thinking she lifted up his shirt to look at the wound site. He didn't protest at all while she poked and prodded a bit. "Huh, it looks great," she said, putting his shirt back down, feeling really good about how he was healing. "Oh… damn… I shouldn't have done that," she looked up at him apologetically. "I'm so sorry."

Daryl gave her a smile, "It's okay." That was all he said, but it was enough. "Ready to go?" Carol nodded and they started towards the bike. Their hands brushed as they walked and she boldly slipped her hand into his. Did she know him well enough to do that? Probably not. But she got the sense that he was too shy to make those first moves on his own and for some reason she just felt comfortable doing things like that with him.

He helped her with her helmet and gave her a hand getting on the bike, along with a few instructions since she'd never rode before. Then the next thing she knew he fired up the engine, got on and they took off. The feeling was instant exhilaration. She made sure to hang on to him higher on his chest so she was nowhere near his injury. She also tried no to grip him as tight as she was inclined to because she didn't want him to think she was scared. She wasn't scared, not at all. She felt safe and comfortable holding onto him. She could tell he was a good driver and she knew he was probably driving a bit slower than usual for her benefit. Carol tapped his chest and then said loudly, "Faster."

She felt his body jiggle as he chuckled. "Hold on." With that he took off and they flew. Carol knew they were going way over the speed limit but she didn't care. It felt too amazing with the wind in her face like that and the air flowing past her. She knew she was smiling and Carol couldn't remember the last time she felt so carefree. It was incredible.

Eventually Daryl slowed the bike and parked in front of a cute little pub. Carol was so relieved he hadn't picked something too fancy. She'd never been a fan of upscale restaurants. She got enough of that kind of thing at work events and conferences. When she went out to dinner she liked to go somewhere homey and comfortable with great food and decent portions.

Dary helped her off the bike and then removed his helmet while she took off her own. He turned and watched a white van drive in and then swore, "Fuck."

"What's wrong?" Carol asked, confused. Something about the white van had thrown him off. Maybe it was an ex girlfriend or something. She eyed the vehicle watching to see who got out.

"I forgot what day it was. We gotta go somewhere else," he replied, clearly upset. He actually looked a bit angry.

"Why? This place looks great," Carol replied, wanting him to know that she approved of his choice.

"It has a deer head on the wall," he mumbled, picking up his helmet.

"Uh… what does that matter? I don't mind…" She was more confused than ever.

"Those animal rights people come in once a month… they scare off customers and sometimes it gets ugly," Daryl finally gave her enough of an explanation. She watched a small group stride purposefully into the restaurant. "Come on, let's just get out of here… But, uh… I don't know where else to go now…" His cheeks flushed in embarrassment and frustration.

"Hey," Carol reached out to touch his hand. "It's okay. It's not your fault." She could tell he was really beating himself up over this temporary roadblock to their plans. His insecurities were really quite adorable because she knew he only wanted to please her. "Daryl… I really like you," she said softly. "It doesn't matter to me where we eat dinner. I just wanna have dinner… with you." He froze and looked at her as if her words had completely shocked him. How could he not see how interested in him she was? She'd pretty much been the one that asked him out in the first place by telling him to ask her out. Maybe someone had hurt him in the past or made him feel like he was worthless. Carol wasn't sure what it was, but she knew she wanted to be the one to fix it.

She knew what she was about to do usually happened at the end of the date, but for some reason it just felt like the right time to do it. Carol took one step closer, rose up on her tiptoes and, before she lost the nerve, pressed her lips to his.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Sorry this update took so long! I think this chapter turned out pretty sweet. I hope you guys enjoy it and look forward to the next one haha!

 **Chapter 11**

For a guy who always seemed so shy and tentative the way he kissed her back was quite surprising. There was a confidence in his kiss that she didn't often see, though she had seen it when he talked about hunting and when he drove his bike. When he was comfortable he was confident, when he was out of his element he wasn't - that was pretty clear. It was definitely a good sign that he seemed confident with kissing, Carol decided as she slowly pulled back.

Daryl cleared his throat and looked at her, then spoke in that really sexy, low, rumbly tone, "Thought that normally happens at the end of the date."

Carol shrugged, "Maybe. But you looked like you needed it." She gave him a bright smile. "Listen, it doesn't matter to me where we go for dinner, I promise. I haven't been on a date with someone I'm actually interested in for a very long time." She decided that being direct and honest with him about how she felt was probably the best approach. "I'll be honest, I'm hoping for something a little more than Burger King or McDonald's but… I promise I won't complain."

"Okay, Steak and Shake it is," he teased. He looked so much more at ease with her and it made Carol feel really good about how the date was going to go. He did look relieved when she laughed because she knew he was joking though. "There's a Logan's just down the street. Kinda busy, not really what I had in mind, but the food's good…"

"That's perfect," Carol replied quickly. She was one hundred percent honest when she said she didn't care where they ate. She was more looking forward to him coming into her place later when he took her home. She thought about Lori's teasing and wondered if she was right about not being able to stop herself if things got heated, but she didn't care. Dinner would be nice, but some alone time with him was what she was really craving.

Dinner was delicious and she ate way too much. Carol knew she made it clear she wasn't one of those women who wouldn't eat in front of guy, that was for sure. They even shared a Mississippi Brownie for dessert. They chatted and laughed a lot. Daryl could be really funny in his gruff, sarcastic way. She told him a little about her past, but neither one of them got into too much detail quite yet. They kept it light and fun, and for a little while Carol was able to let the stress of the last few weeks at work go.

The butterflies in her stomach didn't return until they pulled up to her house on his bike in the dark. Daryl walked her to the front door to say goodnight and it was the moment of truth. "Did you want to come in for a bit?" She started freaking out before he even answered. What if he says no? What if he says yes? Oh God…

"Sure," he replied with a little smile. It wasn't a knowing smile like he was expecting anything to happen. It was just a smile that told her he was just as happy as she was that their date wasn't ending quite yet.

Carol turned around to hide the embarrassing look on her face and led him inside. "The living room is right there to your right," she pointed. "I'll get us a drink. Hmm… I have wine, beer and I think there's some rum and tequila…"

"Beer is fine," he replied, ending her need to wrack her brain for other options. Carol went to the fridge and returned with two bottles of Bud. She handed him one and sat down beside him on the couch. They were both adults and they knew where him coming inside was leading. There was no point in sitting far away and making it any more awkward.

They chatted a little more as they drank their beers. When Carol was finished she set her empty bottle on the table. She didn't mean to, but she yawned. "Sorry," she apologized quickly. "Had an early morning."

"I can go…" Daryl offered, starting to stand up.

"No," she said quickly, putting a hand on his chest. "Please don't… I'm fine."

He relaxed and settled back on the couch. The way they were positioned made it really natural for her to just move slightly and lean against him. It was the opposite side from where his injury was so she settled against his chest. Daryl felt a bit stiff at first, likely surprised, but soon he relaxed and slipped an arm around her.

The instant she allowed her eyes to close she knew it was a mistake, but she just couldn't open them again. She should have sat up the first time she nodded off but it just felt so warm and comfortable. Before she knew it she dozed off.

Carol went to roll over and her hand hit something and she heard someone gasp. "What the…" her eyes fluttered open and she looked down. "Oh my God," she snatched her hand away from where it was pretty much groping Daryl's junk. "I'm so sorry," she stared at him with bright pink cheeks. "What… I fell asleep?" Her face got even pinker when he nodded. "Oh my God, I'm so embarrassed. How long?"

"Bout an hour I think," Daryl said, looking towards the clock on her wall.

"And you stayed there? The whole time? And just let me sleep?" She gaped, feeling even worse.

"I didn't mind," he said with a little shrug of his shoulders. She continued to drone on, apologizing over and over. "I really didn't mind," Daryl finally interrupted her rambling. Carol looked at him and sighed. What a sweet, sweet guy to just sit there and let her sleep for an hour. But what kind of horrible date was she? "Just meant I had to be extra patient before this…" He reached out and touched her face. Carol was sure she saw his hand shake, just slightly, and it made her heart melt. He was such a rare man, like no one she had ever known before. He traced her jawline with his thumb as he moved his hand to the back of her neck to draw her in for a kiss.

His lips were soft and warm and it sent tingles down her spine when they met hers. This kiss was different, not just because it was him initiating it this time, but because they were alone in private. She parted her lips and let him slip his tongue into her mouth, ready to meet him with her own. When they touched Carol moaned slightly and felt her body start to hum somewhere deep inside. Her heart was pounding wildly and she felt dizzy as they continued to kiss. As it got more intense and passionate her body responded accordingly and she felt a raging heat low in her belly.

His hands started to roam her body and Carol moved to a better position and straddled his legs. She was so focussed on how incredible he was making her feel that she didn't even realize at first that he had reached under her shirt and freed her boobs from her bra. His hands, warm and rough were touching her tits gently, teasing her to the point she wanted to scream and had to break away from the kiss for a moment. Daryl switched his hands to her ass for a moment and then slowly worked his way up her back, under the shirt again, as he pulled her closer and went to work on her neck with his lips.

Carol wanted to rip off his clothes and touch every inch of him. She had already seen him naked, job perks and all, but he certainly hadn't been aroused at the time. She couldn't resist and reached a hand down to feel him, solid inside his jeans. It was his turn to moan as she rubbed him, just a bit.

Her mind was consumed with thoughts of what she wanted to do with his dick. Rub it, suck it, take it inside her… Jesus she was so damn horny. She needed to find some self control. She had this horrible paranoia that if they just went all the way right then it might somehow mean she would never see him again. If it wasn't good for him… if he just wanted in her pants and that was all… None of the fears were particularly rational, but she couldn't help her insecurities. Daryl had never made any indication that he was just out to get laid. She honestly believed they might have something special. But she couldn't risk it. She needed to be sure she would get the chance to see him again.

"Oh God," she groaned, using every ounce of strength she had to pull away. "We should stop."

Daryl looked wounded and a bit stunned, but his expression quickly changed to one of embarrassment. "Shit. Fuck," he mumbled, quickly getting to his feet. "I… uh… I'm so sorry," he stammered, backing away from her. "Night." He was practically running for the door and she had to sprint to catch him.

"Wait, wait," Carol called out, rushing after him, trying to fix her shirt and bra to no avail. She caught his wrist just as he got to the door. "Please… you're taking this the wrong way… Daryl…" Finally he turned and he looked so wounded she had to hug him. She knew she needed distance because of how badly she wanted him but she also needed him to know he hadn't done anything wrong. It took a second but finally he hugged her back. She could feel him - still so hard and it was driving her mad but she forced her hormones to calm down.

When she released him she looked up at him with a smile. "Please know that it's not that I don't want to. Because I do… I really really do," she moaned. "I just… I wanna make sure there'll be a second date," Carol admitted. It sounded absurd but he bought it thankfully. His face relaxed and relief filled his eyes. Just to hammer home her point she kissed him again. Quickly because if she lingered… she didn't have much restraint left. "Now go," she laughed, gently nudging him out the door. "And pick me up tomorrow at the same time. I'll figure out somewhere for us to go."

He nodded and started to walk away, then looked back at her with the same foolish grin she knew was plastered all over her face. "Night Carol."

"Night," she replied before closing the door and fighting the urge to run after him. It's less than 24 hours, she told herself. Less than 24 hours and they would very likely be right back where they were… and then hopefully they would take it one step further.


	12. Chapter 12

The next day it rained - all day long so Carol knew ahead of time that the chances of another bike ride were off the table. It was no surprise when Daryl picked her up in a truck instead. She had been thinking all day about what she wanted to do for their date and decided to keep it simple with a movie.

On her break she'd gone over the options that would work for the time he was picking her up and also tried to make a guess of something she thought they would both like. She ended up picking Wonder Woman. She wasn't a huge fan of superhero type movies, but she loved the idea of having a strong female lead instead of the usual Batman, Spiderman, Wolverine etc. And even if Daryl wasn't into superhero movies either - the star was a sexy woman in a skimpy outfit - he'd be just fine.

She wasn't nearly as nervous as she was the night before. There was no pacing, no butterflies in the stomach, but she was just as excited. It wasn't just because of what she was hoping would come later. That was part of it for sure, but she really did just genuinely enjoy spending time with him. He was interesting and unconventional - she loved that about him. He was definitely sexy, but had no clue whatsoever that women stared at him everywhere he went. If Carol were to point it out she knew he would blush red as a tomato and tell her she's crazy.

As they pulled up to the movie complex the rain stopped and with only an hour or so of sunlight left it was out - shining bright. Carol wanted to pout. If they'd only waited a little longer she could have had her arms wrapped around him on the back of his motorcycle. Oh well, if things worked out between them there would be plenty of motorcycle rides. She started thinking about buying her own helmet and then quickly snapped out of it. This was only date number two after all.

"Please tell me you love popcorn too?" Carol asked as they stood in line at the concession.

"Oh yeah. We're gonna need a large for sure," he replied. "Now please tell me that you love extra butter?"

Carol gave him a look like he was crazy. "I ask them to layer the butter," she said with a laugh. Well, at least their snack tastes were aligned and he hadn't balked at her movie choice either. So far, so good. "Front or back?" she asked when they got into the theater.

He looked a bit nervous like he was going to make the wrong choice. "Back?" he said in the form of a question. When Carol smile he relaxed. Yep, they even agreed on where to sit.

They had got there just in time for previews. The movie had been out a while so there weren't a lot of people there which was nice. No one even sat in the back row with them. The first time Carol reached for popcorn in the dark she grabbed his hand in the bag. "Oh, sorry," she whispered. It happened a few more times and she started to wonder if maybe he was doing it on purpose. Not that she minded at all.

The movie was way better than she'd been expecting and Daryl seemed very into it as well. When they talked afterward he said she made a good pick and Carol was very proud of herself. On the way out of the theatre their hands brushed so she reached for his and held it.

Being in physical contact like that made her feel all tingly. By the time they got to the truck her heart was thudding in her chest. He stopped on the passenger side and opened the door for her. When Carol went to step around him to get in he didn't move and she found herself positioned between him and the truck. Slowly she looked up at him and the second their eyes met sparks flew. He moved towards her, pinning her back against the truck and right there in the very public parking lot he kissed her - passionately. So passionately in made her weak in the knees. His hands were resting lightly on her hips and she reached around his back and pulled him closer.

Carol knew people were walking by but she didn't care. Now she knew what it was like to be that couple who were so wrapped up in each other that they couldn't resist some serious PDA. She knew what it was like to be that couple that she often rolled her eyes at and thought, 'get a room.'

When Daryl finally backed off she looked up at him again. "Let's go," she said breathless. They both jumped in the truck and Daryl raced, way too fast, through town, back to her place. The whole way she thought about sliding over beside him to continue the fun, but he was driving fast and she didn't want to distract him anymore than his own thoughts already were. She couldn't keep her mind on anything but ripping their clothes off and falling into bed. That restraint she had the night before was completely gone. She wanted him so badly she could have screamed.

Carol's hands were shaking as she tried to get the key in the door. The more she tried to hurry the worse it got until she was ready to have a massive temper tantrum and throw the keys. That's when she felt his hand on hers and Daryl took the keys. He calmly unlocked the door and handed them back to her. She gave him a grateful look and opened the door to lead him inside. She didn't bother to turn on the hall light, just kicked off her shoes, took his hand and led him to the bedroom.

As often as she'd thought about doing exactly what they were doing and as many times as she'd planned it all out in her head so she wouldn't be nervous… of course it didn't happen even close to any of the scenarios she'd thought about. Instinct took over completely and things just happened so naturally between them. By the time their clothes were off Carol was already wondering what she'd been nervous about.

Everything was so symbiotic between them. It was as if they both knew when to take off something on their own or when to help the other remove something. The only moment of fear she had was when they were both completely naked and he was looking at her. Her nerves took over and she started to cross her arms in front of herself. "Don't… please?" he whispered. "You're beautiful," he added, a bit shyly. They really hadn't spoke more than a few words since they came in the front door.

Once she knew he wasn't judging her in a bad way Carol was comfortable again. That momentary lapse was behind her in a second and she felt more confident. She reached out and touched his chest and watched Daryl shiver. He closed his eyes as she slid her hand down until she was grabbing his dick. He was so hard in her hand, practically throbbing and it made her so wet she could feel it when she moved.

While she stroked him slowly she started to kiss his neck. Daryl groaned and grabbed her ass with both hands. He started moving her back towards the bed. When her legs made contact he stopped and she looked up at him. He bent his head and they kissed deeply while continuing to explore each other's bodies. Carol was careful around his incision area even though he likely wouldn't have felt much pain right then.

Even though things were really heated and they were both naked, they hadn't really done anything beyond an intense makeout session. Daryl made it clear he was ready to change that when he nudged her onto the bed and positioned himself between her legs - not to fuck her, but to give her oral. Carol felt slightly panicked. In all those daydreams she'd never imagined this - but it was happening.

He dipped his head down and brushed the inside of her thighs with his stubble. Even that little contact made her even wetter. He brushed her a little more and then started to kiss her, moving higher and higher. Carol was dizzy with pleasure. She wondered if she might come before he even made it to her clit. She could feel his hot breath and she squirmed slightly. He was about to lick her, finally… And then...

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeep. "No, fuck nooooo," Carol wailed, leaning over to grab her pager with Daryl still positioned between her legs.

"Can't you ignore it?" Daryl moaned.

"I wish I could," she sighed. When she saw the message on the little screen she immediately untangled herself from Daryl and jumped out of bed. "Oh God… please don't let it be happening again." She started scrambling for her clothes. "It's a GSW en route to emerge," she explained. "I thought these damn things were through for a while."

"Fuck," Daryl muttered, getting up to sit on the edge of the bed. "Do you need anything? Do you want me to drive you there?"

"No, no… it's late and I have no idea how long this will take. You should stay," she said quickly as she pulled on her shirt. "Sleep here and I'll call you sometime in the morning." She grabbed socks and quickly threw them on. "There are towels in the bathroom cabinet. Coffee downstairs… should be lots you can choose from for breakfast…" She took a moment to give him a warm kiss. "I'm so sorry… but unfortunately with my job this won't the last time this happens." Daryl nodded and smiled at her so she knew he understood. "Please do stay, okay?" There was something about the idea of him being there that made her feel like the night wasn't a complete bomb.

"If you're sure you don't mind?" he replied.

"Nope, not at all," she said, kissing him quickly one more time. "Gotta go." With all hopes of getting laid that night completely lost she ran out of the house to go hopefully save someone's life. The bittersweet life of a trauma surgeon.


End file.
